The Printer Boy.

Thayer, William Makepeace, 1820-1898Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.9

Word count: 344K words
Chapters: 35

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Printer Boy. by William Makepeace ThayerAuthor: Thayer, William Makepeace, 1820-1898,Language: English, Class: E186: History: America: Colonial History (1607-1775), Release Date: Aug 13, 2008

Editor's review

The Printer Boy is a historical narrative work by the nineteenth-century American author William Makepeace Thayer, classified under American colonial history. Thayer was known for inspirational biographies and books for young readers, and this book continues his characteristic approach: taking a person's growth as the main thread and blending historical background, occupational training, and character education into one. Judging from the classification given in the metadata, the story very likely follows the experiences of a printer's apprentice, thereby reflecting the social conditions, trade environment, and possibilities of ordinary striving in colonial North America. For readers familiar with early American history, the book offers a path into a broad historical context through the fate of a specific individual; its English original is plain and fluent, making it also suitable as an introductory text for English learners encountering nineteenth-century narrative style. It should be noted that this is a Project Gutenberg public-domain electronic text, not a modern annotated edition; read it with both a historical and a literary eye, appreciating its inspirational character while noting the period attitudes it carries.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in American colonial history
English learners who want to train reading ability with an English original
Young readers who enjoy personal growth and inspirational narratives
Readers and scholars studying nineteenth-century American books for young readers

Not a good fit for

Historians expecting rigorous academic verification and detailed annotation
Contemporary fiction readers who prefer fast pacing and strong conflict

Reading tips

Read the opening chapters first to grasp the protagonist's situation and the period background, then read straight through, so as not to abandon the book midway over archaic vocabulary.
Look up unfamiliar historical terms as you go and keep an auxiliary notebook of basic colonial-era social knowledge.
When using it as English reading material, excerpt three to five long sentences per chapter for structural analysis, attending to both language and content.
After finishing, revisit the protagonist's key choices and consider the tension between inspirational narrative and actual history.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a historical biography?

Judging from the historical classification in the metadata and Thayer's usual manner of writing, this is a narrative work grounded in real historical background with an inspirational-biographical cast, not purely fictional. It is best read as popular history somewhere between biography and story, with caution regarding specific plot details.

How difficult is the English, and what level of learner is it for?

The book dates from the nineteenth century; its sentences are somewhat longer than modern English and its diction is rather classical, but the narrative is clear overall and the plot moves distinctly. Readers with intermediate or higher English reading ability who are willing to look up words can attempt it, preferably with a dictionary and introductory materials.

What should I note about the Gutenberg edition?

The Gutenberg edition is a free public-domain electronic text, usually without modern scholarly annotation, introduction, or textual notes, and plainly formatted. Readers should supply historical background themselves and maintain a critical understanding of the period attitudes in the text.

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About the author

Thayer, William Makepeace, 1820-1898 Author

William Makepeace Thayer (1820–1898) is a figure about whom little public information is available; his writing was mainly aimed at young readers and belongs to the inspirational and character-building genre. Thayer often drew on the boyhoods of real people, telling how they rose from ordinary circumstances through diligence, self-discipline, and perseverance. His works carry a clear moral and encouraging purpose, with plain language and straightforward narration. Four of his books are held in this collection: The Printer Boy, From Farm House to the White House, The Bobbin Boy, and From Boyhood to Manhood: Life of Benjamin Franklin. Most center on the paths by which figures such as Benjamin Franklin grew from youth to maturity, showing that his focus was on using exemplary stories to inspire young people, with an emphasis on self-education and the formation of character.